Staying current, getting the training you know you need is no longer an option

(Image courtesy of General Motors) GM’s CEO believes we’ll see more change in our industry in the next few years than we’ve seen in the last few decades.

All told, I’ve been in or around the automotive industry for the last 45 years, so the comments made by Barra really got me to thinking. In that time, I’ve seen the industry evolve in some remarkable ways. I was there when electronic ignition was first introduced, when the first onboard engine controllers were developed, and witnessed the move from carbureted engines to throttle body injection, then to multi-port injection and now, gasoline direct injection (GDI).

I remember the days when you adjusted point gap and used a strobe light to line up the timing marks, rotating the distributor ever so slightly. Now, few cars even have timing marks and only the computer can make adjustments to the timing. Overhead cams were just coming to the market, at first from the Asian Invasion of small, fuel efficient cars Americans were buying as fast as they arrived on U.S. shores due, in large part, to the oil embargo that OPEC was holding over our heads.

Now we have multiple cams that adjust continuously to maximize engine efficiency across the load/rpm band and today, there is even a production car that can vary compression ratio “on the fly” to further improve efficiency. The smaller powerplants of today, many turbocharged, are producing more power per liter than ever before, getting more fuel economy than ever before, and lasting longer than ever before.

And, if many industry experts are correct, by the time I hit the 50-year mark, autonomous vehicles will be almost commonplace – most likely starting in our major cities as rideshare platforms. And by the time my new grandson is old enough to drive, he won’t have to. He’ll be able to summon his electric “taxi”, using an app on his phone, and he’ll be able to stream live entertainment to a screen in the cabin as the BEV takes him safely wherever he wants to go.

What is the impact on our industry today?

If the changes we’ve witnessed in the last 50 years will be surpassed in the next 10, what is the impact on our everyday business now? I think there are several we need to be acutely aware of.

To be honest, the one that scares me the most is knowing that, in the aftermarket repair sector, we don’t know what we don’t know. Have you as a technician or shop owner stopped to consider the processes you have in place and how they mate up with the newer vehicles you are servicing? You may be aware of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) many newer vehicles come equipped with, and may even understand that when performing repairs on these systems, some form of recalibration or initialization will be needed to complete that repair. But are you aware of the impact even routine services can have on these systems?

(Image courtesy of Lockhead) The F-22 Raptor is the most advanced aircraft in the world and uses a tenth of the computer code required by a modern automobile. (Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.) The 2016 Ford F-150 has over 150 MILLION lines of computer code – necessary for the numerous electronic systems today’s modern vehicles utilize.

For example, performing a routine alignment can alter how the forward facing cameras or radar systems “see” the road. Altering steering wheel position without addressing the steering wheel position sensor could provide misinformation to these systems that could result in the system malfunctioning when needed, causing injury rather than preventing it.

Are you, as a technician or shop owner, prepared for the inevitable liability risks these new systems can present to you and your business? Standing before a judge and claiming you didn’t know is not going to be a workable defense. In this case, the only good defense is a good offense – and that means that getting and staying trained is no longer the option it once was. If you, or your shop, insists on continuing to repair vehicles “the way we’ve always done it”, you’re going to be shelling out millions of dollars in judgements and getting less sleep at night, knowing that your failure to bring yourself current caused someone serious injury. Or you’ll be turning away more and more work because you don’t have the knowledge, tooling or skills to perform it.

A message for the masses

Now, understand that I’m addressing the nearly ¾ million men and women who are turning wrenches on cars in the U.S. If you’re one of the few who regularly attend training, you’ll be in a position to grow your business exponentially and get paid for the skills and knowledge you’ve invested in. If you’re one of the many who hunger for training but you aren’t getting the support of the shop or its owner, you’re in a unique position to be able to move to one that does. And if you are considering entering the field, I think you are entering at one of the most exciting times we’ve ever experienced.

We are at a pivotal point in our industry’s history, with the technology advancing and the number of qualified technicians who can repair them dwindling. Even routine repairs, from A to Z, will require more and more technical expertise to perform. Consider that today, you can’t even replace a battery on many cars without letting the car know you did so! And if you don’t, the new battery will likely not last long. Anyone remember when we thought it was a good idea to replace a failed battery with one with more cranking power? On many of today’s platforms, that can cause a variety of issues with the onboard electronics.

(Image courtesy of Chevron-Texaco) This isn't the station I worked at while in high school, but you get the idea. “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star…"

And that’s what a modern car is, right? They are no longer just cars - they are rolling computer networks. Recently, a nationally renowned speaker and industry advocate used this example:

“A modern pacemaker needs 80,000 lines of computer code to work properly and keep the patient alive, the F-22 Raptor, arguably the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, has 1.7 million lines of code. The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner has over 6.5 million lines of code for its avionics package and onboard support systems.

And the 2016 Ford F-150? Over 150 million lines of code…”

And what about the next generation of techs?

Recently, I saw a post on one of the many Facebook groups aimed at “professional” technicians. They boast a membership of nearly 45,000. One member asked the group how best to learn the business and the comments, for the most part, praised “on the job” experience as THE way to go. And to be honest, that’s how I learned when I first started.

But I’ll also be the first to admit that much of what I learned from the “experienced” guy was wrong, or didn’t match the needs of the technology of the day. That is increasingly true, and there is no way anyone can enter this field and learn under the eyes of a mentor alone. I support the initiatives that NASTF is taking in working on an educational model that, as Carquest’s Chris Chesney states, “takes our educational format from one of objective-based learning to one of competency-based learning.” The sooner we can let a student practice what they are taught, the better. As it is today, even the best programs in the country struggle with the ability of the students to retain all the information that’s been hammered into them over a traditional two-year program. Better to graduate a capable apprentice than a semi-skilled “master” technician with limited experience.

That is, if we can attract the talent we need to our industry in the first place. The technician shortage is real, and it’s a global issue – one we are in tough competition with, with every trade represented in a modern technical college facing the same dilemma. Here in Tampa, for example, over 6,000 tradespeople are needed to start the new light rail project that will ultimately connect Tampa and Orlando. 6,000 positions with no one to fill them.

What is the answer? Smarter people than I am have offered their observations but it isn’t hard to see that some factors are obvious; compensation, adequate benefits, working conditions, image of the industry among the students and their parents (pushing for college as the only “real” sign of success), are just a few that immediately come to mind.

For the short term, I can only encourage the shop owners out there reading this to get involved with their communities and their local school system. Take part in the job fairs offered, even at the middle school level. Join the automotive program’s Industry Advisory Council. Support organizations that are taking point on these challenges; NASTF, the ASE Education Foundation, and others. And when you hire that new tech, fresh out of school, truly mentor him or her. And while you’re at it, bring your existing staff up to speed. Insist on a culture of continued learning in your business – or find yourself falling behind even further.

If Barra is right (and I am confident she is), the next decade is going to be an exciting and challenging one for all of us. Considering the talented people I’ve had the opportunity to meet, it’s a challenge that I am confident we will rise to.